Pink Floyd
written by Robert
This is by far the most difficult entry for me to write about not because I have any doubts about hailing them as one of the greatest bands ever, but because it is hard to convince others why they too should listen to Floyd. The truth is, Floyd is not for everyone. It is atmospheric, classical, experimental, progressive, avant-garde, artsy and plain weird at some points. So what’s the real problem? The real problem is that if I want someone to listen to Floyd I will give them either Wish You Were Here, Animals, or The Wall. Not Piper at the Gates of Dawn (their first album) or Dark Side of the Moon (which needs no introduction) although they are hailed as ”revolutionary” albums and just as much typify the “Floyd” sound as any of the first three albums that I mentioned. You see, Floyd is just as much about inserting “weird” noises and orchestrating music using bells and whistles (kind of like the Boredoms but much better) as they are creating concept albums. But the general audience (myself included) will almost 95% of the time get hooked on one of the three albums and then begin to branch off to their other music. Critics of Floyd have this same argument that their “hardcore” fans don’t even know half their albums and perhaps they are even correct. But honestly, would you start someone off with Ummagumma? Or even Saucerful of Secrets? It would scare them away. The key is, get them hooked first, then they will branch out if they “understand” Floyd.
Critics will also say that they aren’t even good musicians and that Roger Waters has about as much creativity as The Eagles, but this is where I completely disagree. First of all, The Eagles are even worse than words can describe and Floyd is teetering on the brink of pure genius. I would say that only The Bealtes had a more impressive streak with seven absolutely amazing albums in a row (from Revolver to Abbey Road – but more about that in the Beatles review). Beginning with Meddle and ending with The Wall, Pink Floyd has five absolutely amazing albums. They move on from just inserting weird noises for no particular reason and fashion truly inspired pieces of music. I’m not just talking about inspired songs, but inspired albums. Floyd wasn’t the first to write a concept album, but they came to define it. So why is Floyd not for everyone if their albums are so diverse? Its because Floyd is kind of like wine, its an acquired taste. A friend of mine told me that after he put on DSOTM he was “extremely disappointed” and didn’t understand why it is hailed as such a good album. Honestly, the one reason I would say why people don’t “understand” Floyd is because they are expecting something else. Like Rock, or Pop, or something else. If you’re looking to rock out to some music put up the Rolling Stones or The Who. Floyd is not any of that. Other albums by Floyd come under similar scrutiny: “Oh I LOVE The Wall but I HATE Wish You Were Here” or “I LOVE Animals but I HATE The Wall”. It’s all the same shit. Floyd is good. Period. You just don’t understand WHY it’s good. Maybe you haven’t been in the particular environment that is suitable for a particular Floyd album. Why do you think every Floyd album can be played synchronized to a movie that it was never “intended” to be played with. Ultimately, Floyd is soundtrack music. Put it on when you are completely relaxed (which I guarantee you is the main reason why people don’t really enjoy it – they are too friggin worked up all the time) and meditate. Think about things other than the music. The music triggers the unconscious rather than the conscious. At any point in time, there is a Floyd album that can match my particular mood. Maybe when someone put up DSOTM they didn’t like it because they should have been listening to Animals, or another album. Again, its like wine, you don’t drink white wine with steak, you drink red wine. But then again, some people don’t like wine at all and above all, those people cannot be helped.
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